Hair treatment foil and method

ABSTRACT

A web roll of flexible foil used in the chemical treatment of hair, the roll comprising a front face and a back face, a continuous band of pressure-sensitive adhesive deposited on the front face and parallel to and away from art edge of the roll, the back face comprising a continuous deposit of release coating, the release coating allowing ready, tear-free separation of the back face from the front face when the front face and the back face are in contact.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This non-provisional patent application claims priority to and incorporates in full by reference the specification and the drawings per the applicant's Provisional Patent Application No. 61/735,990 filed on Dec. 11, 2012 and entitled “Material and material dispensing apparatus for separating hair into sections during treatment.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to flexible foil used in the chemical processing of hair and to methods used to increase the quality and efficiency of chemical treatment of hair using foil. It is noted that the term chemical as used herein refers broadly to products such as color and bleach used in the treatment of hair.

Slippage of foil is a common problem encountered in chemical treatment of hair using foil. Slippage is undesirable because it causes bleeding of treatment chemicals into hair not selected for treatment with chemicals. Slippage and the bleeding it causes also means that colorists may avoid applying base color to hair not selected for treatment while the hair selected for chemical treatment is processing inside the foil. Another problem is the difficulty in learning the cumbersome technique of foiling of hair that requires a two-handed technique and where colorists learning the technique may ask the customer or other assistant to hand foil sheets to the colorist.

Known art addresses the problem of slippage of foil with relatively complex construction for the foil, foil system and resulting in more steps and complexity in using the foils. U.S. Pat. No. 8,322,353 to Russell discloses a hair strand holding strip on the front face of the foil without or without an adhesive layer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,076 to Russell discloses an attachment anchor and hair positioning restraint preferably made of a Velcro® loop material where the attachment anchor and hair positioning restraint are bonded to the foil with adhesive. U.S. Pat. No. 7,191,783 to Russell discloses a combination of a pinked leading edge and a hair surface anchor strip. U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,284 to Tanner discloses hair gripping hook strips. Publication 20040118424 to Russell discloses a rectangular strip of loop material that is used to anchor selected hair, the loop material attached to the foil by means of an adhesive. U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,864 to Gallo complex construction because you need a sleeve for the comb, an adhesive strip and a backing with a smooth, relatively non-adhesive surface, purpose of the backing is to allow for ready, non-foil tearing separation of foil from a stack of foils. U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,741 to Minghenelli discloses a foil with a pressure-sensitive adhesive and teaches a strippable cover to preclude the sticking together of a plurality of the sheets in a package. However, none of the known prior art discloses or anticipates the applicant's improved foil of very simple construction that is simple, effective and easy to learn to use because it involves the conventional methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The applicant has developed an improved hair treatment foil that addresses some of the problems in the known art. The applicant's invention addresses the following problems: (1) The slippage and movement of foil during and after application of the chemical on the hair selected for treatment and (2) complexity of steps in use of known prior art foils that address the latter problem and (3) the cost of known prior art foils that address the latter problem.

Thus the applicant's improved foil is simple in construction, uses known, simple manufacturing methods and offers simple method of use that does not involve complex, time-adding steps such as removal of strips. Thus disclosed is a hair treatment foil comprising a deposit of pressure-sensitive natural paste adhesive disposed laterally across a front face of the foil and away from and parallel to a leading edge of the foil and a release coating deposited on a back face of the foil. The purpose of the release coating on the back face of the foil is to allow ready, tear-free separation of adjoining sheets of foil. Thus the release coating allows for tear-free separation of the adhesive-bearing front face of one sheet of foil from the back face of an adjoining sheet of foil. The release coating also allows the foil to be presented as per one embodiment in a continuous web roll put-up. Per an alternative embodiment, the releasability (of the front, adhesive-bearing face, from the back face) may be accomplished with other known methods such as a texturing or embossing of the face of the foil that does not have the deposit of adhesive. The disclosed adhesive is adapted such that it sufficiently anchors the hair selected for treatment while also allowing the ready removal of the foil from the hair selected for treatment after the processing is complete.

The applicant's invention also addresses the problem that colorists who work with several clients at any one time may not recall the specific color used for as given client. Thus, the applicant's invention includes an improved foil per above further comprising a true color tint applied throughout the foil sheeting. The true color tint closely approximates the actual color that the colorist applied to the hair and the actual color that the colorist is trying to achieve. Known tinted foil sheets do not use true color tint.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective of a roll of improved foil per a preferred embodiment of the foil roll of the disclosed invention

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the improved foil per the disclosed invention showing the construction

FIG. 3 is a front perspective of a roll of improved foil per an alternative embodiment of the foil roll of the disclosed invention

FIG. 4 is a front perspective of a roll of improved foil per a preferred embodiment showing perforations at pre-defined lengths

FIG. 5 is another front perspective of a roll of improved foil per the preferred embodiment of the foil roll of the disclosed invention

FIG. 6 is a front perspective of a sheet of improved foil per the disclosed invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the disclosed drawings.

Shown in FIG. 1 is a front perspective of a roll of improved foil per the preferred embodiment of the disclosed invention. The foil roll 1 has a front face 2 and a back face treated with a release coating 5 and comprises a continuous deposit of pressure-sensitive adhesive 7 having a width of deposit W. The adhesive 7 is deposited at a distance D from one edge (the leading edge) 4 of the roll 1. It is understood that the term leading edge as used herein is the edge of the pre-cut sheet of improved foil that is placed on the scalp. Per FIG. 1, the adhesive 7 is deposited in a direction that is in the machine direction and is a cost effective way to manufacture the roll of improved foil.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the improved foil per the disclosed invention showing the construction of the foil sheeting. Thus shown is adhesive 7 deposited on a front face 2 of the foil sheet and a release coating 5 applied to the back side of the foil sheeting.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective of a roll of improved foil per an alternative embodiment of the foil roll of the disclosed invention where the adhesive 7 is deposited across the width of the roll.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective of a web roll of improved foil per a preferred embodiment showing perforations 10 at pre-defined lengths. So, for example and not by way of limitation, a typical sheet of foil after torn of the roll may be 5×9 inches.

FIG. 5 is a perspective of a roll with perforations per the alternative embodiment for the direction of deposit of the adhesive as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective of a pre-cut, ready-to-use sheet of improved foil per the disclosed invention.

Pressure-sensitive adhesives are known. The Applicant has experimented with pressure sensitive adhesives and has found that a simple construction for an improved foil comprising an optimized width of band of pressure sensitive adhesive applied at an optimized distance away from the leading edge of the foil that is placed on the scalp is all that is needed to achieve the goal of avoiding slippage of foil while using the conventional foiling techniques. This is a somewhat surprising result given the complexity of designs for foils in the known art for addressing the problem of foil slippage. A representative, non-limiting description of a specification for a sample pressure sensitive adhesive successfully used in the manufacture of prototype rolls of the disclosed improved foil is the following:

-   Name: PS-931 (B) pressure-sensitive adhesive -   Properties: pure acrylate copolymer emulsion. -   Viscosity 80-200 mPa·s (Pa [ska] seconds) -   PH value of 7.5-9.5 -   Solid content 55±1% -   Tack on the 12th ball (GB/T4852-2002) holding stick 24 hours     (GB/T4851-1998) -   Peel force 12N/25 mm (GB/T2792-1998) -   Operating temperature ˜15-90° C.; -   Appearance: white water (oil) emulsion, -   Non-toxic, non-flammable, without the help of suitable solvents or     heat, just applying slight pressure to the adherent bonded firmly     with adhesive, opened after the general without affecting the sticky     surface.

The disclosed adhesive is safe for use in contact with the human scalp and skin, inert and non-reactive when in contact with conventional hair treatment chemicals, water soluble, and has sufficient tackiness to anchor strands of hair selected for chemical treatment. The adhesive also allows the foil to be removed from the scalp and to be repositioned as needed for more precise placement on the scalp before application of chemicals to the hair selected for treatment inside of the foil.

Per one embodiment of the disclosed invention a foil roll comprises perforations across the width of the roll at pre-defined intervals in the direction that is perpendicular to the machine direction. The perforations allows for tear separation of pre-defined lengths of improved foil sheeting that is ready for use.

An alternative put-up (not shown in drawings) for the disclosed improved foil is a note-pad type stack of sheets pre-cut to desired length and width. The release coating on the non-adhesive-bearing side of a foil sheet in the stack allows the ready removal of a single sheet of improved foil without affecting the adhesive coating on the adjacent sheet in the stack in contact with it. Per yet another embodiment, the note-pad type stack of pre-cut improved foil sheets may be presented with the adhesive-bearing side up of the top (exposed) sheet of foil in the stack such that the colorist with one or more fingers dabs the adhesive of that exposed top sheet in the stack in order to pick up and separate a single sheet from the rest of the stack.

The width of the band of adhesive is preferably one inch (1″) but alternative widths may also be suitable for a given application. The width of the band of adhesive is adapted to be sufficient to securely anchor a section of hair selected for the chemical treatment. The adhesive is applied at a distance D away from the edge of the roll of foil (the ‘leading edge’ of the foil that is placed on the scalp) and is preferably ½ inch away from that edge. The purpose of the application of the adhesive at a distance away from the edge of the foil sheet is twofold. As shown in FIG. 1 it allows for more trouble-free application of the adhesive to the web roll of foil. Additionally, the distance D allows for folding of the sheet of foil during placement of the foil on the scalp. Per the applicant's improved foil, the fold and the adhesive cooperate to create a most secure attachment of the foil to the scalp and a securement that minimizes slippage of the foil during application of the chemical to the hair selected for treatment, during processing of the hair selected for treatment and during the checks (opening up the folded foil containing hair treated with chemical) the colorist makes on the progress of treatment.

The method used in the application of the band of adhesive onto the foil is any one of known methods for the continuous application of pressure sensitive adhesives to the surface of a web roll. The thickness of the foil per the disclosed improved foil is a standard thickness for foil used in chemical treatment of hair. A non-limiting and preferred range for the thickness of the foil is in the range of 12-14 microns.

The following are steps used per one method of use of the improved foil of the disclosed invention: (1) With a comb section hair and weave hair to select hair to be treated, (2) pick up one sheet of improved foil, fold foil sheet at the top edge of the adhesive coating (edge closest to the leading edge of the sheet) and with comb inside of the fold slip the sheet of foil snugly against the scalp with the adhesive side touching the scalp (or alternatively, per preference of the stylist, the adhesive side up), (3) place the hair selected for treatment on top of the foil sheet, (4) apply the chemical to the hair selected for treatment and (5) fold foil to enclose the hear treated with chemical. The foil improved with the adhesive per the disclosed invention affords sufficient tackiness to securedly yet releasably attach foil to the scalp. Furthermore, the applicant has found that the combination of the fold at the leading edge of the foil sheet above the adhesive and the adhesive coating itself cooperate to achieve a high level of securement for the foil.

Thus disclosed, is a method for chemical treatment of hair comprising the steps of

-   -   a. Sectioning hair and weaving with a comb to select hair for         chemical treatment,     -   b. Picking up a single sheet of foil, the sheet comprising a         front face and a back face, a continuous deposit of a band of         pressure-sensitive adhesive on the front face of the sheet and a         distance away from and parallel to a leading edge of the sheet,         a release coating on the back face of the sheet,     -   c. Folding the sheet of foil at a top edge of the band of         adhesive closes to the leading edge of the sheet,     -   d. With the comb tucked inside of the fold placing the sheet on         the scalp,     -   e. Placing the hair selected for treatment on top of the sheet,     -   f. Applying chemical to the hair selected for treatment and     -   g. Folding the sheet so to enclose the hair treated with the         chemical.

One of the problem areas in using foil for chemical treatment of hair is in the bang area and the nape of the neck of the client. The disclosed inventive foil addresses the problems in treatment of hair in the problem areas because of its simplicity of construction and use and because of the secure way it anchors hair selected for treatment. For all of these reasons the applicant's improved foil is excellent in facilitating training of new colorists in the methods for chemical treatment of hair.

The design for the improved foil allows for both an underhanded and conventional foiling technique, depending upon how/where the improved foil with adhesive is placed on the scalp, whether underneath the hair selected for treatment or on top of hair selected for treatment, whether toward the scalp or away from the scalp.

Because the disclosed method minimizes slippage of the foil containing hair selected for a first chemical treatment, the user may choose to apply base color to hair not selected for the first chemical treatment in the foil without fear of bleed between the base color and the chemical in the foil. 

I claim:
 1. A web roll of flexible foil used in the chemical treatment of hair, the roll comprising a front face and a back face, a continuous band of pressure-sensitive adhesive deposited on the front face and parallel to and away from an edge of the roll, the back face comprising a continuous deposit of release coating, the release coating allowing ready, tear-free separation of the back face from the front face when the front face and the back face are in contact.
 2. The roll per claim 1 further comprising perforations such that tearing at the perforations presents foil sheets of desired size, each foil sheet comprising a band of adhesive at a distance away from and parallel to a leading edge of the sheet, the leading edge placed on a scalp during a chemical treatment of hair.
 3. The roll per claim 1 wherein the roll is treated with a tint that is true color.
 4. A sheet of flexible foil used in the chemical treatment of hair, the sheet comprising a front face and a back face, a continuous deposit of a band of pressure-sensitive adhesive on the front face of the sheet and a distance away from and parallel to a leading edge of the sheet, a release coating on the back face of the sheet, the leading edge of the sheet placed on a scalp during the chemical treatment.
 5. The sheet per claim 4 wherein the sheet is treated with a tint that is true color.
 6. The sheet per claim 4 presented in a note pad type stack wherein the leading edge of each sheet in the stack is aligned.
 7. A method for chemical treatment of hair comprising the steps of h. Sectioning hair and weaving with a comb to select hair for chemical treatment, the comb comprising a handle, i. Picking up a single sheet of foil, the sheet comprising a front face and a back face, a continuous deposit of a band of pressure-sensitive adhesive on the front face of the sheet at a distance away from and parallel to a leading edge of the sheet, a release coating on the back face of the sheet, j. Folding the sheet of foil at a top edge of the band of adhesive closest to the leading edge of the sheet, k. With the comb handle tucked inside of the fold, placing the sheet on the scalp, l. Placing the hair selected for treatment on top of the sheet, m. Applying chemical to the hair selected for treatment and n. Folding the sheet so to enclose the hair treated with the chemical.
 8. The method per claim 7 wherein the adhesive of the front face of the sheet touches the scalp.
 9. The method per claim 7 wherein the back face of the sheet touches the scalp and the adhesive touches the hair selected for treatment. 